Item #112100 An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria. Victoria Port Albert.
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria
An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria

An archive of approximately 300 items (letters, shipping records, promissory notes and cheques), primarily from 1848 to the early 1860s, emanating from Messrs Turnbull and Co., general merchants in the small Gippsland town of Port Albert, one of the earliest ports established in Victoria

'In 1841 the Gippsland Company investigated the area following favourable reports from explorer Angus McMillan. In May of that year the first settlers arrived. Initially the area was known as Seabank or Old Port, but was changed to New Leith when the town started developing, and later changed to Alberton and Port Albert in honour of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, the husband of Queen Victoria. The Post Office opened on 1 November 1842 as Alberton (it was renamed Port Albert in 1856) and was the fourth to open in the Port Phillip District. It became the administrative centre of Gippsland and a transport hub for cargo between Melbourne and Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania), thanks to its 250-metre timber jetty. As the Victorian Gold Rush began in the 1850s, traffic through Port Albert increased, bringing prospectors from Europe and China, many of whom were headed for the Dargo goldfields. This further added to Port Albert's prosperity. During the 1870s and 1880s, Gippsland was gradually settled, and connected to the railway network. This reduced Port Albert's role as an important transport hub, and the population subsequently decreased' (Royal Historical Society of Victoria, online).

Robert Turnbull purchased land at Port Albert in 1841 and established a store and stockyards at the 'Shipping Point'. The business appears to have operated at least until the 1870s; this portion of the archives gives a detailed view of business life in a thriving isolated settlement at a critical time in its development. Some background and context may be found in Victorian Parliamentary Paper Number 27a of 1856-7: 'Report from the Select Committee upon Shipping Point, Port Albert; together with Proceedings of the Committee and Minutes of Evidence' (Melbourne, John Ferres, Government Printer, 1857). A copy of the paper is included with the archive (foolscap folio, vi, 37 pages, sewn as issued, all edges uncut; in excellent condition). This very interesting report contains 1508 detailed questions and answers regarding the 'expediency of purchasing a portion of the Shipping Point at Port Albert', the 'nearest harbor to the townships of Alberton, Victoria, Tarraville, and the upper district of Gippsland' (236 kilometres south-east of Melbourne, and about 80 kilometres south-east of Morwell). Witnesses included Angus McMillan: '906.... You are a resident stockholder in Gippsland? - Yes. 908.... You were the first who took cattle into Gippsland? - Yes'. He went on to answer over 300 questions. John Orr had this to say, among much else: '701... Do you know Port Albert? - I do; I named it'. David Fermaner commenced his evidence thus: '1334.... In what year did you come here? - in May, 1841. 1335. And have you been pilot how many years? - I ... have conducted all the vessels into the harbor since that time'. One of the last witnesses to be called was Phipps Turnbull, brother of Robert Turnbull, owner of the land under consideration. '1436. You hold a power of attorney authorizing you to sell it? - Yes.... 1438. Are you willing to sell a portion? - Yes.' Briefly, there are 56 letters, 74 bills of lading, 80 cheques, 69 promissory notes, and 30 receipts and other miscellaneous documents; further details are available on request.

Item #112100

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